Falafel

Falafel is a traditionally Arab food. The word falafel may descend from the Arabic word falafil, a plural of the word Filfil, meaning "pepper."
When falafel is made ​​the traditional way, is indeed a vegan food; it's a great source of protein for people who have cut meat out of Their diet. It's Relatively low in fat and has no cholesterol if you fry it in heart-healthy grapeseed oil. And if you top it with veggies in a pita, it Becomes a filling and nourishing meal! Sure beats a Big Mac, if you ask me.

You will need to soak dried chickpeas overnight for your falafel to turn out right; canned beans are too tender and containerization too much moisture to Achieve the right consistency. Do not cook the beans, Because this will result in a denser mushier and falafel-which is not the clean texture.

1 pound (about 2 cups) dry chick peas
1 small onion, chopped Roughly
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3-5 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Pinch of ground cardamom
Coconut oil for frying

Pour the chickpeas into a large bowl and cover them by about 3 inches of cold water. Let them soak overnight. They will double in size as they soak.
Pour them into your food processor along with the chopped onion, garlic cloves, parsley, flour, salt, cumin, ground coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cardamom.
Pulse all ingredients together Until a rough, coarse meal forms. Scrape the sides of the processor Periodically and push the mixture down the sides. Process till the mixture is somewhere entre the texture of couscous and a paste. You want the mixture to hold together, and a more paste-like consistency will help with that.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Form falafel mixture into round balls.
Before frying my first batch of falafel, I like to fry a test one in the center of the pan. If the oil is at the right temperature, it will take 2-3 minutes per side to brown (5-6 minutes total). If it browns faster than that, your oil is too hot and your falafels will not be fully cooked in the center. Cool the oil down slightly and try again. When the oil is at the right temperature, fry the falafels in batches of 5-6 at a time till golden brown on bothsides.

Let them drain on paper towels. Serve the falafels fresh and hot.

Mine are not that perfect round. Sorry for that. 

Easy salad with scampi

I've made an easy salad of mesclun.

Mesclun is a salad mix of assorted small, young salad leaves which originated in provence , France. The traditional mix includes chervil, arugula, leafy lettuces and endive in equal proportions, but in modern iterations may include an undetermined mix of fresh and availablele lettuce, spinach, arugula (rocket, or roquette), Swiss chard (silver beet),mustard greens (Dijon's Child), endive,dandelion, frisée, mizuna, mâche(lamb's lettuce), radicchio, sorrel, and/or other leaf vegetables.

What you need:
Mesclun
coconut oil
smashed garlic
scampi
pepper&salt
eggs

Lemon juice 

I've baked some scampi with smashed garlic some lemon juice and pepper and salt in the coconut oil.

I've made some scrambled eggs.

I've mixed everything in a bowl with the Mesclun.

I said it was easy! Haha. And it is fast to make this salad.

Vacation shoplog

Only 9days to go and we're going on vacation!

Finally together and alone time with the three of us.

No work, no householding, only relaxing.

And vacation time means time for new clothing!

I bought some things online at the H&M webshop.

A colleague of mine bought the vest in another store like what I have orderd now.

I was searching for a poncho kind of thing but this is much better!

She has a great own style also. She wear things I really like but never had the guts to try it on. Especially now when I have a little baby.

I'm blessed with my body that it came out so nice but it's not the same as before I was pregnant.

But she told me how you could wear a crop top and that I sure can wear it.

So this vacation I try this new kind of style out. That 's why I orderd a crop top and a high waist jeans.

What do you think of the stuff I bought?

It's not the destination that matters. It's the change of scene.

Halloween pie

Hip Hip Hooray! Halloween is near!! It's not the ghoulies, ghosties or monsters I fear, it's the 10 lbs of goodies that will go to my rear!!

It's Halloween!!!
I love this holiday. dress up all scary watch scary movies and get some sweet stuff.
I've got a yummie halloween pie recipe for you!

This is what you need:
2 cups pumpkin purée
5 tbsp maple syrup
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven on 220 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine ingredient and mix well until smooth.
Pour pumpkin filling into pie shell.
Cover the edge of pie with foil.
Bake pie for 15 minutes then remove foil.
Reduce oven temperature to 180 degrees and continued baking for an additional 45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

I heard of some superstition where you look at a mirror and say "Bloody Mary" 3 times; wouldn't you get better results to say it while looking at a bartender?

Happy halloween

Non candy halloween snack

Booohooooo it's almost halloween. Just 1day to go abd then it's Time to get some candy and eat it all till my teeth fall out!
I'm joking.

Yesterday I've posted my zombie brain drink and now it's time for another halloween recipe.

You can make non candy snacks to eat or give away this halloween.
Here's one!
And this one is very easy!

Freaky Hot Dog Fingers

Cut hot dogs in half, width wise and then length wise into quarters. Open a package of crescent roll dough and roll Until very thin. Cut the dough into strips and wrap around each piece of hot dog, leaving a little bit of the tip uncovered. Bake as directed.

Zombie brain hemmorhage

It's almost halloween. My favourite holiday of the year!

I want to post a halloween recipe till Friday Halloween day!

So today is my first one but it's not for pregnant woman!

It contains alcohol!!!

So be warned!

If a zombie walked into a bar he would order a brain hemmorhage! He might also eat the bartenders actual brain.

I prefer to think of it as a Zombie Brain Hemorrhage simply because it looks like what I imagine zombie brains would look like: very, very gross. The drink also feels weird in your mouth.

But it taste very damn good! I saw this recipe on tipsy bartenders youtube page. And now it's time to try this out for myself.

Ingredients
1 1/2 oz. Peach Schnapps
1/2 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream
 Grenadine

Pour the  peach schnapps into a shot glass. Over the back of a spoon, layer the Bailey’s Irish Cream. Hold the bottle of grenadine about 2 inches over the shot glass and slowly pour it in a thin stream. The Bailey’s  will curdle and form “brains”.

Grenadine contains citric acid and that curdles the cream and creates the look of brains.

My Utopia

Maybe you know the tv show Utopia where 15different people get locked up in a place where they must make a new better living together.

For 1year they must stay there without their family and friends. You only can write to eachother.

They must make money, work a lot and figure out what's the best Utopia for them.

Utopia: An imagined place where everything is good and beautiful.

Utopia: Nowhere Land

At first I thought it was crap. My hubby liked the show and I hated it. A group of people in a place and they've got money to start sonething up. I thought it was stupid that they get money allready.

During pregnancy we did not follow it any more till a couple off weeks ago.

It's a show with a lot of drama you can reconize with your own life.

Living for the money, talking behind peoples backs etc.

So I follow the show as a treu fan.

A lot of people in it I like and I think they're great. And others I think they're stupid, lazy and stubborn.

So I admit the show is a succes!

But how they live is not a way how I want to live.

My Utopia is with my daughter, family and friends, with my lovely animals. A big farm with peace for animals and the other living.

Hard work is a must but we respect eachother for who they are and not about the money. No talking behind the backs but just be honest to eachother. Love and Peace for everyone.

My own gym so people can workout.

Lots of friends for my baby girl so she can play with them. 

How does your Utopia look like? 

Mommy tag

I saw this great tag at: dhini and I really wanted to copy this one.
Only I translate it to English ;).

Are you a working mom or a stay at home mom?
I'm a working mom. 32 hours a week. (4days a week) I've used to work 38hours (5days).
I work in a clothing shop that's open 7 days a week. So I work 1 day in the weekend as well.

Would you like to change?
No, I like to work and I want to deserve my own money. Maybe if it will be to tough I will go from 32hours to 24 hours. But we'll see. I'm only working now for 3 weeks.

My child always sleeps in her own bed or crib?
My little girls sleep in her stroller in our bedroom. This was the advice of our maternity care because I breastfeed her and we did not have a crib at our room. We've hoped that she would sleep through the night soon but that is not threu and as advice they tell us to let her sleep with us so I could stay in bed and put her away in her stroller next to me when she's done eating.

The best buy for your child?
Her bedroom. She's got such a beautifull bedroom!

How many children do you want?
I've always wanted two children. So they will have eachother. But first let me enjoy this one.
And then we'll see if we still want a second one or that we'll be blessed to have another one.

Date Night (a getaway with your partner)? How many days / nights a month?
Not that many. We'll go more out with the three of us then only together. I can't be so many times without my baby girl. I want her still near me ;). Haha

Favorite activity off  your child?
Playing with her pink dragon who can makes noices. Or laughing at her big pink big eyed owl!

Have you done a bad bargain during pregnancy?
A pink bouncer. She loved to be rocked if she's sad so we thought to buy a bouncer so that will makes it easy for us to rock her. But she sat only 2 times in it. She's only crying in it because she is not near us.

The favorite food of your child?
Booby milk!!!

Do you have purchased a larger (family) car?
My hubby must get a new one for his work and we picked a bigger car. Opel insignia station.

What is your dream vacation with kids?
Meet my family in Indonesia. Going back to Dubai with her.

And your dream vacation without kids?
Hmmm I can't imaging to go on vacation without kids any more. haha

What has changed in your life since you're mom?
I'm always busy, concerned about how my girl is doing. More tired and have less time for sports or social time with friends.

My heart melts when I ......... .. (make the sentence complete)
My baby girl laughs at me. That's just so cute!!!

Where do you shop the cutest baby stuff?
Zeeman, H&M, Bol.com

Favourite mama makeup and grooming?
Essence make up.

A brand or store brand?
Store brand for diapers (kruidvat) and further I've got Zwitsal.

Have you always had a child wish?
No when I was younger I did not want kids. I did not saw myself as a great mom. I've got a bad example for being a mother.
But when I was older I want children 2 before I became 30.
I'll always so now: I know how to not to do it.

What is the best thing about motherhood?
Creating a miracle. Enjoying everything of it!

Let Me Poop

I hear my little neigbour girl sometimes sing the song from Frozen (Let it go)

I did not know that that song was from a movie till I saw a couple of movies on youtube off people singing that song with their kid (so cute).

But this girl had a special version of the song. Did you hear this one allready?

Zwarte Piet (Black Piet)

Here in Holland we've got a holliday called: Sinterklaas (Nicholas). It's almost the same then Santa Claus.
He rides on a white horse over the rooftops with an entourage of cheerful black Piets (zwarte pieten) his helpers.
Every 5th of December he gaves children presents for everybody who was good that year.
The black Piets go through the chimney to place the present in every kids shoe.

Here in Holland we've got an extreme disccussion about the Black Piets the helpers of Nicholas.
They would be racist because they are black and it would come off the slave trade of the past.
But we celebrate it this way for years. And even in Belgium they do not make such a big point of it.
I can not imaging that the helpers will get another colour. If they are white I would feel discriminated, if they are yellow the Chinese people will come that it's a bad thing.
And what would you tell to the children who know that the helpers are black?
They are black because of the chimney.
Black as soot we would say.

But where does the helpers come from really?

Nicholas initially had no helper, but in 1850 Schenkman introduced in his book St. Nicholas and Helper three new cases, all of which have been in a permanent place in the "Sinterklaas"Nicholas folklore: a helper for Nicholas, the arrival and the steamboat. The helper had in his book no name, he was a colored man, dressed as a page. In the course of time he has had several names; For example, he was called John the servant Trappadoeli, Nicodemus, Assiepan, Sabbas, Hans Moef, Pikkie, Robbert, Jack-crack, Micheltje Hansel of Vese (or Hansel from Kese), Jacques Jour (or Sjaak Sjoor).

In 1859 was for the first a printed article in which he is called: Pieter and in 1895 Black Piet was already come into use. It was not just one black Piet, in 1880 there where two helpers. After the Second World War, Canadian soldiers in the Netherlands organized a Nicholas celebration with a mass of Black Piets. Since then Nicholas accompanied by many helpers, nowadays often each one have their own task, led by a host Piet.While Nicholas is always dignified and distinguished, the Piets behave like acrobats and clowns who often make boyish pranks.

There a couple of stories where the Black Piet has his origin from:

- was originally a chimney sweep, and the soot blackened

- would originally have been a demon who was forced by the sacred to do good deeds.

- would an Ethiopian black slave Piter who was ransomed by St. Nicholas in a slave market in Myra

- would be a pre-Christian deity who had to submit to the Christian saint

- would be conquered Satan, deputy to the vanquished Wotan, or his helper Norvi, the black father of the night, who also wore a roe

- be descended from the black ravens Huginn and Muninn, Odin accompanied

- be descended from berserkers, which the body dyed black and wore animal skins

I think he must stay. He's been here with his black colour for years.

He brings presents and joy to people!

What do you think? Is it's racist or not?